Grillo shoots 64 to lead at Mayakoba Classic

Nothing like familiar ground to finish a thrilling PGA TOUR season. Tom Bendelow started it. Donald Ross refined it. Bobby Jones played it. Rees Jones refurbished it. East Lake is a fitting finish annually as it reeks of history on the property, on the blueprints and from the names on the trophies etched before and since the FedExCup was handed out in 2007. Unlike the unfamiliar test last week of Wilmington Country Club, the past at East Lake reminds us exactly of what is needed to win. Horses of the past have given us plenty of clues to look for. The Par-70 tips at 7,346 with just two Par-5s to collect birdies. The Par-3s amplify what is required to get it around here: Ball-Striking. Long, strong and away from the almost three inches of Bermuda rough will be the recipe again. Only 24 acres of fairway is in play this week similarly tight to the 22 acres at TPC Southwind. Bermuda greens averaging 6,000 square feet will catch plenty of recovery shots from the rough but good luck getting the ball to check and spin on the proper shelves. After the switch to Bermuda greens in 2008, the two lowest GROSS totals have been Xander Schauffele (15-under in 2020) and Jon Rahm and Kevin Na (14-under 2021). Rory McIlroy’s 13-under in 2019 tied the previous mark set by Henrik Stenson in 2013. The winner of the event the last three seasons should get all of the plaudits that go with the system that is in place. For our intents and purposes, we need to understand how the best scores were achieved. Key Statistics Only players listed are competing this week; click stat headline for full list Strokes Gained: Off the Tee The only way to attack pin placement this week will be taking advantage of the tee ball. Start here and work forward! Of the last six winners three have led the field in this category and all have been T7 or better. Ball-Striking The combination here of big, accurate tee shots while painting GIR will help with the next category below and increase scoring chances. The last seven winners have all ranked T7 or better. Bogey Avoidance Of the last eight winners five have led the field in this category. None of the three were worse than T5. Keeping bogeys and other crooked numbers off the card is key when birdies are not readily available. Gross Total The starting strokes began with the 2019 edition. Take a look at some gross scores of players from the last three editions. You’ll notice Jon Rahm and Sungjae Im are significant factors in the above stats as is Xander Schauffele if he figures his driver out. Rahm (starting at 3-under, 7 back) is paying +1200 for a win at BetMGM Sportsbook with Im (starting 4-under, 6 back) starting at +2800 and Schauffele (starting 6-under, 4 back) at +650. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. For live odds, visit BetMGM.

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Propelled by a scorching final-round 61, McIlroy finished the Canadian Open with a tournament-record 22-under 258.

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After this week’s doubleheader consisting of the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and the Bermuda Championship, the PGA TOUR rests for one week before finishing the fall with the Mayakoba Golf Classic and The RSM Classic. As a result, the Fantasy Insider column will be on hiatus until Tuesday, Nov. 12, thus the additional week of birthdays at the bottom. RELATED: Power Rankings: WGC-HSBC Champions | Power Rankings: Bermuda Championship | Daily fantasy advice Only the WGC-HSBC Champions is in play for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. If it scores anything like the first two stops on the Asian Swing, then the winner of the week will land at right around 880 points. That was the total posted by “tampatom” as the medalist at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. The four-way T1 at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP touched 877 points. ShotLink remains off for all fantasy action until the Sentry Tournament of Champions launches Segment 2 in January. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf My roster for the WGC-HSBC Champions (in alphabetical order): Paul Casey Tony Finau Hideki Matsuyama Rory McIlroy Justin Rose Adam Scott You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Rafa Cabrera Bello; Sungjae Im; Francesco Molinari; Andrew Putnam; Xander Schauffele; Danny Willett Driving: n/a Power Rankings Wild Card Cameron Smith … As he rapidly rounds back into form, which he’s proven to do at this time of year, something will give. Despite success in the fourth quarter, he’s finished just T64 (2015) and T54 (2018) at Sheshan International. His scoring average is 73.38. Because there’s no cut, you’re better off rolling the dice with a talent who’s had success here before. However, if you’re into contrarianism, he presents as the golden ticket given the value of course experience. So, consider fractionally in DFS. Draws Danny Willett … At ninth in the Race to Dubai and with a win at the BMW PGA Championship, he’s proven to be all the way back from injury and disappointment. The 2016 Masters champion is among the best putters on the European Tour, but that strength pays off his similarly capable approach game. Placed T3 at Sheshan International in 2015 when he walked off with a course-record-tying 62. Francesco Molinari … Once upon a time, his victory at Sheshan International (in 2010) was considered official for PGA TOUR annals, but it was later stripped for clearer record-keeping. (This tournament endured a few years of unofficial/official placement before all doubt was eliminated in 2013.) So, the Italian’s official breakthrough victory occurred at the Quicken Loans National in 2018. That history lesson aside, his tee-to-green game along should trigger a top 25, but inconsistent form here recently and in recent weeks has lowered his temperature among gamers. Kurt Kitayama … Look away if you’re the analytical type and focus only on the results, especially the most recent. The UNLV product plies his craft on the European Tour where he’s a two-time winner this season. And in his last four circuit starts, he’s gone T21-T14-3rd-4th to sit 12th in the Race to Dubai. The 26-year-old has captured the attention of DFSers for a while now, but this marks his debut in a World Golf Championship. Go ahead and find a seat on the bandwagon. Rafa Cabrera Bello Sergio Garcia Shane Lowry Louis Oosthuizen Andrew Putnam Xinjun Zhang Fades Jordan Spieth … In retrospect, I gave him too much benefit of the doubt at Narashino where his struggling tee-to-green game cost him. He couldn’t find the magic on the greens and finished T66. So, rather than chase his shadow once again at Sheshan International, I’m stuffing my hands into my pockets until the roster deadline. However, if you’re curious, in his last appearance in 2015, he finished T7 despite checking up at T71 in fairways hit and T61 in greens in regulation. That’s because he led the field with only 101 putts and ranked ninth in putts per GIR. Matthew Fitzpatrick … Why does a guy with four runner-up finishes in a single season on the European Tour deserve this treatment? It’s because he swings so far to the other end of the spectrum when he’s not dialed in. Last week’s 75th-place finish in Japan was baffling. The conservative in me must leave him to longer-term formats until he exhibits an aversion to big numbers. The same model can be applied to his experienced at Sheshan International where he has a pair of top 10s, a T16 and a T54. Hao Tong Li … Hasn’t missed an edition since it’s been an official PGA TOUR event (2013-present), and he’s gone for a pair of top 15s, but they are his only top 30s and he’s been struggling of late. No need to reach on the native of China at home. Justin Harding Jason Kokrak Phil Mickelson Chez Reavie Bubba Watson Returning to Competition None. Notable WDs Kevin Na … Numerous qualifiers at the WGC-HSBC Champions elected not to commit, but he withdrew after the deadline. You won’t miss him, though. He hasn’t finished inside the top 50 in his last three tries at Sheshan International. Bud Cauley … After a T9 at the Houston Open and two weeks off, he’s 44th in the FedExCup standings, so there’s no urgency to play again until he’s ready. Martin Trainer … Sigh. He’s opened his sophomore season with five missed cuts in as many starts and he’s gone 16 in a row without a payday. The silver lining is that the 2019 Puerto Rico Open champ is fully exempt on the PGA TOUR through 2020-21. Mark Anderson … He’s 2-for-4 on the season, 118th in the FedExCup and currently set to rise into the top 20 of the graduate reshuffle with still two more playing opportunities before the category reorders for the first time (after The RSM Classic). Power Rankings Recap – ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Justin Thomas  T17 2  Rory McIlroy  T3 3  Hideki Matsuyama  2nd 4  Gary Woodland  5th 5  Adam Scott  T33 6  Matthew Fitzpatrick  75th 7  Patrick Reed  T17 8  Paul Casey  T17 9  Xander Schauffele  T10 10  Adam Hadwin  T41 11  Tommy Fleetwood  T22 12  Tony Finau  T59 13  Jordan Spieth  T66 14  Ryan Moore  T72 15  Louis Oosthuizen  T46 Wild Card  Jason Day  T22 Sleepers Recap – ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP Golfer  Result Ryo Ishikawa  T51 Nate Lashley  WD Shaun Norris  T51 Kevin Streelman  74th Vaughn Taylor  T41 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR October 29 … none October 30 … none October 31 … Mark Wilson (45) November 1 … none November 2 … James Hahn (38); Adam Hadwin (32) November 3 … none November 4 … Kevin Streelman (41) November 5 … Jim Herman (42); Bubba Watson (41) November 6 … Scott Piercy (41) November 7 … Maverick McNealy (24); Joaquin Niemann (21) November 8 … Troy Matteson (40); Francesco Molinari (37) November 9 … David Duval (48); Ted Potter, Jr. (36); Nicholas Lindheim (35) November 10 … Jon Rahm (25) November 11 … Robert Garrigus (42); Joel Dahmen (32)

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